Dark Is My Light
by Ethirium
Summary: Amelia and Evelyn Reed find each other, and then find the X-Men. This is the story of their life, loves, tragedies, and experiences while fighting alongside the X-Men, the Morlocks, and the Brotherhood. This story will span each X-Men movie, first to last. JohnXOC, BobbyXOC, PietroXOC, PiotrXOC. Rated mature for language and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! Welcome to the first chapter of a completely new X-Men fanfiction! This story is written by two authors, Kelli and Krystle, and as such, features the stories and experiences of two original characters. Amelia Reed was created and is almost entirely written by Kelli, while Evelyn Reed was created and is almost entirely written by Krystle. Of course, overlap happens, but we do hope our writing styles complement each other well enough that when this does occur, you are not jarred from your reading experience.

We look forward to hearing your feedback! Please review and, if you like it, favorite our story!

_**Disclaimer: **We do not own X-Men, or any of their likenesses. This is a work of fanfiction, inspired by the X-Men movies and informed by the greater Marvel universe. We own nothing other than our characters and our own story concepts. Please don't sue us._

* * *

**Dark is My Light**

Chapter One

_"Dark, dark my light, and darker my desire..."_  
**- Theodore Roethke**

Amy had a migraine again. She kneaded her knuckles gently against her forehead, closing her eyes and trying to will it away. She couldn't remember the last time she had made it through the day without a painful ache swelling behind her eyes. She slumped lower in her desk, trying to block the light from the windows. The clock ticking on the wall seemed impossibly loud.

"What moment in _The Wasteland_ is where everything comes together, do you think?" Mrs. Barry intoned from far away. It sounded like she was underwater.

The clock kept ticking. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

"Miss Reed!"

Startled, Amy jerked up, causing a sharp pain to jolt through her head. She glanced around the room to find the entire class staring at her. Mrs. Barry, at the front, looked irritated. "I don't mean to interrupt your nap, Miss Reed, but if you would do us the honor of answering my question, we'd be much obliged," she said. She must have called her name several times before Amy had heard her.

"Er..." Amy sat up, squinting at the open English book in front of her. She could barely make out Eliot's name, and the words were swimming all over the page. She looked back up at Mrs. Barry. "Could I go to the nurse? I don't feel well."

"Not having done the work is hardly a reason to visit the nurse, Miss Reed. Go on, we'll wait." Mrs. Barry crossed her arms.

Amy had read the poem the night before, but she couldn't remember anything now. She flipped a page in her book, but she could still barely make out any of the words. She couldn't even think of what she was supposed to be looking for. Her head felt like it was going to split in two. "Um, I'm sorry, but what was the question again?"

Around her, her classmates burst into sniggers of laughter at her expense. She flushed as Mrs. Barry sighed. "Where, in your opinion, is the point in Eliot's poem where the entire premise comes together?"

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Little whispers began flickering around the room. _"What is wrong with her?"_

_"What a moron..."_

_"Mrs. Barry is such a bitch-"_

Amy's head was feeling so sensitive, though, it was like the voices were right inside of her head, pounding against her skull. She instinctively covered her ears with her hands, tears springing into her eyes at the pain.

_"IS SHE GOING TO BE SICK?"_

_"OH MY GOD, GET ME OUT OF HERE-"_

_"IS SHE REALLY CRYING IN THE MIDDLE OF ENGLISH CLASS?"_

TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK.

"SHUT UP!" Amy screamed, squeezing her fingers into her ears. "SHUT UP!"

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The only thing Amy could hear was her shallow breathing, and the blood pumping in her ears. The migraine was gone. She opened her eyes.

No one moved. No one spoke. Even Mrs. Barry stared at her unblinkingly, mouth open as though she were about to speak.

"What?" Amy whispered, horrified. Slowly, she stood up out of her desk, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. Still, no one moved. She reached hesitantly reached out to touch the boy who sat next to her. "Alex?" She gently pushed his shoulder, but he didn't even blink.

"What's going on in here?"

Amy spun around, her heart palpitating forcefully in her chest. It was Mrs. Rowland, from the classroom next door. For a moment, they stared at one another, and then Mrs. Rowland looked slowly around the room.

She screamed.

Amy reacted instantly. She grabbed the strap of her backpack off of the floor and ran from the room, knocking past Mrs. Rowland as she went. As she sprinted down the hall, more and more classroom doors began to open as Mrs. Rowland continued to scream. By now, she was yelling for help. Amy slammed into the double doors at the end of the hall, triggering the emergency exit alarm and bursting out into the sunshine. She stumbled on the sidewalk, and then kept running, past the school gate and down the road, leaving the classroom and its horrors far behind.

* * *

It didn't take long for Amy to make it home. She didn't live far from school. She crashed through the back door, panting and sweating, and turned the lock. She dropped her bag on the floor of the mud room and quickly made her way across the house to lock the front door. She leaned against it, breathing heavily.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Startled, Amy looked up and saw her father lounging on the living room couch. "Dad," she said. "I didn't know you were here."

He glanced lazily at the clock on the wall, which read 12:53. "You're supposed to be at school." Slowly, he got up off of the couch, swaying. He was drunk.

"I-I got sick, they sent me home," Amy stammered, avoiding looking at him.

He moved closer. "Are you lying to me?"

"No!" Amy said, pressing her back against the door. "I have a fever, they sent me home to get some sleep."

His hand flashed out and he struck Amy across the face, nearly knocking her to the ground. "You lying little bitch!" he yelled, leaning over her. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, dragging her away from the door. She cried out, her fingers scrabbling at his, trying to pry him loose.

"Dad!" she yelled, her feet slipping on the floor as she tried to stand fully upright. "Dad, stop it! You're hurting me!"

He gave her hair one last yank, and Amy managed to right herself and pull away, stumbling back. She put her hands up to block him as he started for her again. "Stop it!" He knocked her arms aside and hit her again, this time knocking her fully to the floor. He pulled his arm back again, and she blocked her face and closed her eyes. "Dad, no!"

Amy would never really understand what happened next. Even though her eyes were closed, they were seared through the cracks by a blinding white light. She couldn't feel the ground beneath her, and her father's blow never came. Her face was blasted with incredible heat, and her hair blew back off of her skin.

When she finally felt brave enough to open her eyes, she found herself floating in the air, at least ten feet from a massive crater beneath her. She was suddenly overwhelmed with nausea, and she could feel the blood drain from her face. As her eyes rolled back into her head, she saw the earth pitch up toward her, and she was unconscious before she hit the dirt below.

* * *

"Hi, welcome to Freddie's. My name is Evee, and I will be taking care of you ladies tonight. Tonight we have our Friday Fish Fry, all you can eat cod for only $15.99, and our soup of the day is clam chowder. Can I get you started with anything to drink?" The charismatic smile, sparkling eyes, and cheery disposition seemed genuine and sincere from the young, teenaged waitress, but anyone who really knew Evelyn Reed, and very few did, would see right through the rehearsed speech. Evee hated her mundane job at Freddie's Diner, where the manager was a sleaze, the clientele filled with punk teenagers and busybody socialites, and the food overpriced and mediocre. She especially hated Friday Fish Fry. Nonetheless, she needed the money and the tips were halfway decent.

"Oh, dear, I'll have an iced tea," one woman ordered. She glanced at the other, who asked for the same, but with a lemon and light on the ice. Evee smiled, as if she couldn't be happier doing anything other than fetching the women their iced tea and left the table, heading toward the server's station.

That's when the headache started. She took a deep breath, trying to shake it off as she grabbed two glasses off the shelf. _Please not now,_ she silently begged. _Just one day…_ For weeks, Evee had been having painful migraines…but that wasn't the worst of it. It started off as a headache, then her vision would blur and then…

_ She was running, panting. It was dark. Someone was chasing her…_

_ "Hey, can we get some service over here!"_

_ Someone slammed her up against a wall, squeezing her arms tight. Pain at her _

_back. Her shirtsleeve rips._

"_Just look at me!"_

_She reaches out and scratches at flesh, skin and blood under her nails._

"_STOP!"_

Evee gasped for air, hardly able to breathe. The diner was silent; it felt like an eternity.

"Nice one, freak!" She heard, followed by laughter. She recognized the voices and looked up, a group of guys from school. They didn't get along. _What the hell are they laughin-_

Evee looked down at the glass and tea on the floor. She didn't remember dropping the drinks.

"I-I…I'm sorry," she muttered, reaching for the mop. As she was cleaning up the mess, she was interrupted by dear Freddie, the owner of this hellhole.

"Evee, that's the second time this week! I'm going to have to dock this from your pay," he reprimanded. Evee fought the urge to roll her eyes. She could feel his eyes behind her, his gaze following her backside, to the edge of her deep red button-up dress, a pitiful excuse for a uniform.

"Hey, can we get some service over here!"

Evee's heart dropped, a bowling ball landing on her gut. She recognized that voice. It was Tyler Reynolds, football player and basketball star, ladies' man, man's man, teacher's pet.

It was also the voice from her vision.

"Well, come on, Evee, don't just sit there, you've got tables to wait on!" Freddie growled.

Evee shook her head, standing. "I'm sorry," she said, taking offer black apron. "I don't feel good, I have to leave."

"Leave? It's not even 4, your shift just started!"

"I think I'm going to be sick," she replied quietly.

"Aw, lay off her, Freddie. I'll take her tables. Could use the extra tips tonight, anyway. Go get some rest, doll." Jan, a waitress in her forties and the closest thing Evee had to a friend, winked at her and gestured with her head to get the heck outta dodge.

Evee silently thanked her and left without another word. She grabbed her bag from her cubicle and headed out the back door, used for employees and deliveries. She just needed to get out of there until this feeling in her gut had passed.

It was bright out, and Evee squinted. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of large, dark sunglasses. She could never explain it, but the sun, daytime in general, just gave her a yucky feeling. Her mom had often joked that she was allergic to sunlight. But that was before the headaches started.

Evee started walking, away from the slowly setting sun. There were still a couple hours until it would be dark out, but Evee knew of a few places the sun didn't seem to touch so much. The dark always seemed to help with the headaches.

As she was walking, she felt that gut-clenching feeling again. Someone was behind her.

"Evee, wait up!"

Evee immediately broke into a run, fear gripping her. She knew now what she had seen, and there was no way that she was going to allow that to happen. Fortunately she was a good runner, and quick. However, Tyler was a star running back, and she could feel him gaining on her. Evee pumped her arms, willing herself to move faster, to get away from him, to get away from her vision.

There was a dark warehouse coming up to her right. Without second thought, Evee sped around the corner, hoisted herself up on the dumpster and pulled herself through a broken window, dropping to the ground. She picked herself back up and kept moving. The warehouse was dark, most of the windows were blacked out, but Evee's eyes adjusted quickly. She could see a heavy door ahead of her and knew she would be able to hide in there. She heard the thump of Tyler climbing the dumpster; she was almost out of time. Evee started running again, her heart racing, hair raising on her arms, goosebumps covering her body. Fear emanating from her. She could feel him right behind her, but didn't dare look. _"OH MY GOD, GET ME OUT OF HERE-"_

"Will you just look at me?!"

Evee felt Tyler touch her arm and she whipped around. What happened next was… well, impossible. She slashed at him, but never touched him. The darkness somehow seemed to grow darker, deeper. It took over and she felt it…_push_ the fear she felt into Tyler. Somehow, in all this darkness, Evee could see clear as day…actually, clearer then she _could_ see in daylight. Tyler's eyes widened and he stepped back. His mouth opened slowly, and then all of a sudden he let out this bloodcurdling scream. He began tearing at himself, ripping his clothes, clawing at his skin, screaming with paralyzing fear. And then the darkness took over.


	2. Chapter 2

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_**Disclaimer: **We don't own X-Men or anything within Marvel or its universe. We only lay claim to our characters and our additional story concepts._

* * *

Chapter 2

Amy's eyelids fluttered, and she caught glimpses of sea green and chrome. Her body hurt, though her head was surprisingly clear. She sighed, and her eyelids closed again as the room began to spin. Sometime later, her eyes flickered again. This time, she managed to hold them open.

She was in a hospital; that much was clear. For one, blissful moment, she couldn't think of why that might be. And then, it all came back. She sat up like a shot, much to the dismay of her aching body, her heart pounding in her chest. Her right hand jerked back, and she looked down to see it handcuffed to the rail of her hospital bed. She pulled on her arm again, but the chain just pulled taut.

Trying to quell the panic quickly rising in her chest, she looked around the room. It was small, with a window next to her bed and two large windows next to her door, with the curtains pulled in front of them. Through the thin white material, she could see two people standing in front of the windows outside of her door.

The door to her room opened, and an older nurse entered Amy's room. She paused for a moment, looking at Amy as though she were surprised to see her sitting upright. A dark look passed over her face before she smoothed it out again, and her eyes turned from Amy's face to the monitors she was connected to.

"Please," Amy said, watching her, "please tell me what's going on."

The nurse ignored her, lifting one of the IV bags before dropping it back down. It was as if she couldn't hear her, but Amy could see her stiffen with every word she said. Tears filled her eyes.

"Please, just... just tell me what's wrong with me?" she begged, beginning to cry.

Still, the nurse said nothing. She turned and walked toward the door, her back as stiff as a board. Amy sobbed. "PLEASE!" she yelled.

The nurse paused, and then turned. Amy recoiled at the look of blind anger and hatred on the woman's face. "As if you didn't know, _mutant_," she spat. Amy's sobs shuddered to a halt as she stared back at the nurse, who abruptly turned on her heel and jerked open the door of the room. She slammed it shut behind her, and the lock turned audibly.

_Mutant?_

Amy felt her chest constricting more and more tightly. _Mutant?_ It wasn't possible. She had seen some of the reports on the news in the last few months. Reports of destruction and chaos from across the country. One girl had spontaneously erupted fireworks inside a mall on the east coast. Another used super speed to rob banks across the country. There were even tales of mutants who could impersonate other humans.

It wasn't possible... was it?

Outside of her window, Amy saw the nurse talking with the two men who had been standing beside her door. One of them gestured, and the nurse rushed off quickly, and she saw their silhouettes turn to glance at her window.

Frantically, Amy started yanking at the handcuffs again. She had to get out of here, she just had to, there was no telling what they were going to do to her after what she had done-

Suddenly, she cried out in pain. Her wrist was suddenly in searing pain, and she looked down at the handcuffs, which had begun to glow orange as though they had been heated over a fire. In the middle of the chain, the link glowed even brighter, until they were white. Molten metal dripped onto the hospital bed, and suddenly, her arm was free.

Her wrist still burning, Amy leapt out of the hospital bed and ran to the sink inside the adjoining bathroom, turning the cold faucet on full blast and sticking her arm beneath it. The silver cuff cooled quickly and dangled on her arm like a bracelet, rubbing uncomfortably against the now raised, shiny pink burn.

The men outside of her room seemed to have noticed the commotion inside, and she heard the sound of a key in the lock. Amy looked around the room, looking for anything she could use to defend herself. There were no surgical tools or easily wieldable objects within arms reach. There was nothing.

The door opened, and two men in dark suits burst in, guns drawn.

"Stand down!" one of them yelled, hoisting his gun meaningfully.

Amy put her hands up. "Please-"

"STAND DOWN!" the second man yelled.

Throwing her arms out in front of her, there was suddenly a blast, and the two men were knocked backward into the door and wall, and the windows of her room shattered. There were screams in the hallway of the hospital, and Amy saw nurses and doctors in scrubs diving for cover.

Dressed in only a paper gown that was tied down her side, Amy began to run. She jumped over the two groaning men in the doorway, and into the hallway, which had devolved into chaos. No one seemed to be paying any attention to her. She ran down the hall until she found the doors to the stairs. Shoving it open, she ran into the stairwell, a sign notating she was on the third floor.

Quickly, she made it to the first floor, crowded with nurses and doctors who looked like they were beginning to evacuate patients from the hospital. Keeping her head down, her hair shielding her face, Amy entered the melee. She needed to change; she couldn't go out into the world in only a paper gown.

After a few tries, Amy found the shift changing room, empty. Each tall, blue locker had a padlock on it. She had a thought. Slowly, she approached the nearest locker, and took the padlock into the palm of her hand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated really, really hard, imagining the lock melting like the handcuffs in her hospital bed had. After a moment, she opened her eyes. The padlock remained, shiny and whole, in her hand.

The noises in the hallway were getting louder. In the distance, she could hear police sirens. Amy closed her eyes again. "Please, please, please," she murmured, gripping the lock.

Nothing. The only heat in the lock was from her sweaty grip on it. Amy threw it down and turned, running her hands through her hair. She could have wept in frustration and anger. She turned back and slammed her fists into the lockers, trying to resist the urge to give up then and there.

Suddenly, the doors on the lockers began to swing open. The only things holding the doors onto the lockers at all were the padlocks closed around the handles; it appeared the hinges themselves had melted.

The sirens were closer, now. Amy didn't have time to wonder what had happened. In the first locker was a brown sports coat and a pair of khakis. In the next, a blouse and a pair of jeans that were much too big for her. However, in the third locker, Amy found a pretty floral sundress and a pair of flats that were fairly close to her size. Stripping out of the paper gown, Amy dressed quickly, shoving the gown in a trashcan.

There was a purse in the locker where she found the dress. Biting her lip, Amy reached for it, opening the wallet inside. She found twenty-three dollars. Tossing the ID back into the locker, Amy went through the rest that had opened, looking for anymore cash. She had seen enough cop shows to know to leave the credit cards behind. When she had finished, she had just a little over $100. It would have to do.

She saw her face, lip split, bruised cheek, in the mirrors next to the showers. _Mutant_. Cringing, she turned away.

She slipped from the locker room into the crowded halls of the hospital. There seemed to be a general flow of people moving toward the main doors, and she fell into step in the middle of the crowd. The police standing at either side of the doors didn't see her as she left.

* * *

Evee didn't know what to do, she just kept running. She couldn't explain what just happened, what took over her. She just remembered the fear she had felt… and the screaming, the blood. The darkness. But that hadn't been the worst part, the part that had Evee running for her life. It wasn't the sudden flashing lights or the piercing sirens, either, although she kept trying to convince herself that was why she was running. But deep down, she couldn't deny it. And that was what scared her more than anything.

She had enjoyed it.

The darkness, however she was controlling it…felt…_good_. It made her feel better than she had in a long time. She had felt power and control, something sparked in her, a click. Somehow…she turned something _on_.

Evee didn't understand it, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She just wanted it to go away, just forget about it and go back to her boring, mundane life.

_No, you don't._

She stopped running and put her head in her hands, catching her breath. She dropped her hands to her knees and leaned against an alley wall, trying to think of what to do. The sirens had quieted some, she knew that by now they would have found Tyler and taken him to the hospital, try to figure out what had happened to him.

Then they would be looking for her.

_Or would they?_ Evee couldn't even fully remember what had happened let alone make sense of it. Maybe Tyler wouldn't be able to, either. Maybe she would be safe.

Evee shook her head again. She might be, but he wouldn't be. Ever again. Whatever happened, whatever _she_ did to him, Tyler would never be the same. That much, Evee knew for certain.

"I have to get home," Evee said to herself. The sun was setting - it was starting to get dark. Evee pressed her lips together. Maybe not _straight_ home.

A small smile formed on her lips as she started to walk. She buried the fear and worry, saving it for morning. She could face her problems with the rising sun. But right now, her headache was gone and her nerves were calming. She took the long way home, just enjoying the crisp autumn air.

Evee slid the key into the lock and turned it slowly, quietly entering the third floor, two-bedroom apartment. It was after two and she didn't want to wake her mother, who worked early mornings. She snuck in, closing the door behind her quietly. Evee stopped in the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was a plate with ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Not bothering to warm it up, Evee took the plate over to the dining room table. There was a note at the table where she normally sat.

_Evee –  
__There's a plate in the fridge. I'm going in early tomorrow morning and staying late, but I will be off Sunday and all next weekend.  
Love, Mom_

Evee sighed and began to eat. Her mother rarely took a day off; it seemed she was working all the time. They both did. If Evee wasn't at school, she was at the diner, nights and weekends, except for when she had the headaches. She was sure Mom had thought she was getting some extra hours in at the diner.

Evee's stomach dropped. She couldn't bury it anymore. The hair on her arms prickled, goose bumps traveling up her arms and down her spine. She could feel it climbing up her throat. She could literally feel it. Evee jumped up and sprinted into the bathroom, throwing herself over the toilet as she started to retch. She gasped for air in between heaves.

Finally, she could sit back. She took a deep breath and wiped her mouth with a piece of toilet paper. The temporary cool her walk had given her was long gone and the horror of what had happened was staring her right in the face.

_What did I do?_

A few minutes later, Evee washed up and threw out the rest of her food. She quickly loaded and started the dishwasher, and then went into her room, closing the door behind her.

_What did I do?_ she thought again, sitting on her bed. She stared down at her hands, trying to put together some sort of explanation. But she couldn't come up with much. Whatever she did, it wasn't good. Evee sighed and kicked off her shoes. Whatever it was, she would have to figure it out in the morning. For now, she needed to try to sleep. There was a lot to do in the morning.

Evee slept like crap. She woke up nauseous, feeling exhausted, and with another headache. _You'd think by now I'd be used to this shit_, she thought sullenly. She stretched and sat up pulling the hair out of her face. She squinted at the light, her curtains were open. She whipped them closed, blocking some of the sun. _That's better_.

Before worrying about anything, the first thing Evee did was head to the shower. There wasn't a window in the bathroom, so the shining sun wouldn't bother her. She didn't bother waiting for the water to warm up before getting in, the cold always helped her wake up.

Unfortunately it helped her wake up to what was going on. Evee didn't really want to think about it, but she had to. She did something, something awful. She dreaded seeing the news, but she had to know just how bad things were. She hoped that whatever had happened, it was temporary. But she had a feeling that it wasn't. The thoughts brought up an image, a high school boy tearing at his skin, the bloodcurdling screams… it was going to stay with her forever. It would be the first thing she saw every morning.

Evee turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and dried off. She quickly brushed her teeth and combed her hair, and then went to get dressed. She dropped the wet towel on her bedroom floor and pulled on a pair of old, dark blue jeans, a dark blue lace tank top, and a fitted black button-up. She threw her hair up in a loose ponytail and sat at her desk, her laptop in front of her. Evee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A moment later, she lifted the screen and turned it on.

It didn't take long to find an article: _Local Athlete Admitted to Hospital - Police Seeking Witnesses_. Evee's stomach dropped and she could barely breathe as she read the article. Being a minor, Tyler's name was left out, but it was obvious who they were referring to. An anonymous caller had heard the screaming and called the police. They found him covered in self-inflicted wounds, his screaming uncontrollable. He could not be consoled and resisted the paramedics. Eventually he was sedated and brought into the hospital, where he is receiving specialized care and is under evaluation. The police believed the incident was drug-related.

"Are you fucking kidding me? _Drugs_ did this?" she muttered, reading on. The police did not have any other leads at this time. They were urging anyone with any information to come forward.

Evee sat back in her chair. So that was it. Whatever she had done, put a kid in the hospital. She took a deep breath and leaned forward, scrolling down the page to read the comments on the article.

There were a lot. Worried parents, concerned citizens. And high school gossip. There were a lot of people defending the drug comments, and a lot in favor of them. Evee scrolled through them, skimming them, searching. She froze, breath caught in her throat. Much to her dismay, Evee found what she was looking for. It was posted anonymously, but it had to be from one of the guys on the football team, friend Tyler had been with at the diner: "last i saw tyler he was leaving freddies after that freak left".

Evee could barely breathe. This was it. If one jock could make that connection, it wouldn't be long before the police did. They could be knocking on the door today.

She couldn't sit still. Evee stood and began pacing the room, trying to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, her blood pumping. It was difficult to breathe and the room was spinning. _What do I do, what do I do!?_ She felt panicked, scared. And then the headache started.

"No, not again!" she exclaimed breathlessly, as her vision blurred and was replaced by something unexplainable.

_ A blonde teenaged girl running, panting. She was scared._

_ An older man yelling, grabbing her hair. Anger, fear._

_ A blinding bright light exploding, wiping everything out._

_ Green and chrome, a hospital. Metal melting._

_ Police searching, guns drawn._

_ The girl running, hiding. She's scared, so scared. Her face…blonde hair, bright blue eyes._

Evee gasped, falling to the floor. She took a moment to catch her breath, and then sat back. "What the hell?" she said aloud to herself.

She thought back to her vision, the girl. She wasn't sure why she had seen her, but knew they were alike, that there was something similar about them.

_I've got to find her._ Evee went back to her laptop and started searching. She didn't really know what she was looking for, or where she should be looking. This girl could be halfway across the country for all she knew.

"Oh my god," she whispered. She had found something. There was a house in Oregon that had been wiped off the map during an explosion. A teenage girl had been found unconscious on site and taken to the hospital, where she was in custody for questioning. A more recent article had the girl's yearbook photo and claimed her a fugitive, saying that she fled the premises after attacking several police officers.

Her name was Amelia Reed, and as of six hours ago, she was on the run.

The articles said one more thing. She was a mutant.

_Mutant_. Evee sat back and thought about the word. That had to be it. They were mutants.

Everyone had heard about mutants. People that had a variation in their genes, in their DNA, that gave them unique abilities or disfigurations. They were in the news on a daily basis. Some reports of mutants fighting for equal rights. Most reports were of dangerous mutants, mutants who were hurting people, even killing people. Evee didn't personally know any mutants, not that she knew of. But it seemed every day there were more and more of them. Her mom had told her some stories about mutants who came into the hospital seeking medical attention for difficult mutations, or humans who visited for mutant-inflicted wounds, but not many. She seemed to prefer to leave her work at work, troubling though it may be.

And she was one of them.

_I have to find her_, Evee thought. It was crazy, but she didn't know what else to do. It wouldn't be long before the police were looking for her, and she didn't really have anywhere else to go.

It was settled. Evee saw no other choice. She emptied the backpack she used for school and started filling it with clothes, her toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and her laptop and charging cord. She took a large tote from her mother's room and filled it with things too. She didn't need much but she knew she needed to be well-prepared. She didn't have any credit or debit cards, but took her bus pass and passport. She emptied her glass bank and took the money from under her mattress and counted it. All together she had over $4000. She had been planning on buying a car in the next couple weeks. Evee hid most of the money deep in her bags and opened a notebook, scribbling a half-assed apology to leave for her mom to find whenever she got home from work. She left her about $600 with the note, her cell phone, and her key. She knew she could never go back.

Without a second thought, Evee left the apartment. _I can't believe I'm doing this_, she thought, closing the door behind her. _Here goes nothing_.


	3. Chapter 3

New chapter, new chapter! We received our first review last time around, and we are seriously stoked! Please, send us more! Or, if you don't like public commentary, drop us a private message :)

_**Disclaimer: **You know the drill by now. We don't own anything, just our ladies and our story concept._

* * *

Chapter Three

Amy stared at herself in the dirty mirror. She looked awful. No wonder she was getting caught at nearly every turn. She had no idea how to be on the run. She didn't have enough money to get anywhere far. She had barely gotten out of Seaside, let alone to Portland, where she had thought she could hide in the city. A difficult feat, she realized in hindsight, considering her battered face and disheveled appearance and the handcuff still chafing at the burn around her wrist. Already, she'd had the cops called on her three times, no doubt leaving an obvious trail ensuring that, sooner or later, her sheer, dumb luck would run out. She should have made a run for the border instead.

She had snuck in the gas station bathroom as someone was leaving it. She turned on the faucet and splashed water onto her face, careful to avoid putting too much pressure against the dark bruise on her cheek. She rubbed her damp hands around the back of her neck before reaching for a paper towel. She didn't know what she was going to do. She was alone in the city, a hunted fugitive, with nowhere to go or to turn. She gripped the edges of the sink and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to keep from crying again.

Suddenly, there was pounding at the door. "Hello?!" Startled, Amy knocked the bottle of hand soap off of the sink's edge, jerking around to face the door. There were two shadows underneath the door from where someone was standing on the other side. She heard keys jingling and scraping against the handle, and suddenly the door swung open, revealing an overweight man in a gas station attendant's vest. "You're not supposed to be in here, this is for customers only!" he snarled at her.

Amy put up her hands and started edging forward, meaning to slip around him. "I'm sorry, the door was open and I just wasn't feeling good," she said. "I'm going now, I'm sorry."

The man sidled over, blocking her exit. "I know you," he said slowly, "you're that mutant they're looking for on the news!"

"No, no, no, you must be mistaken, I-"

He reached out to grab her, but Amy dodged back. "Leave me alone," she said, "I don't want to hurt you."

The man laughed, as though the idea were ridiculous, and made to grab at her again. "Do you know what kind of reward they have on you?"

"Stop it!" Amy yelled, raising her hands defensively. A bright ball of white light suddenly erupted from her palm, about the size of a basketball. It rocketed forward, knocking Amy back into the wall and colliding with the man, burning through his shirt and knocking him several feet backward and onto the ground. Stunned, Amy stared at him for a second before bolting from the bathroom as he struggled to sit up.

"Help!" the man started to shout. "Help me! That mutant bitch attacked me!"

People filling up their cars turned to look at Amy as she sprinted through the gas station parking lot and onto the sidewalk. It wasn't long before she started to hear sirens behind her. She slid around a corner, nearly knocking a couple over as she started running down the next block. Her lungs began to burn, and her legs were tiring, but she kept pushing forward, trying to outrun the sirens that were screaming louder and louder behind her. As she ran through an intersection, she nearly stumbled and fell trying to stop as two squad cars, lights flashing, turned onto the street at the next block. She was trapped.

Fingers wrapped around the top of her arm, and pulled. Instinctively, Amy yanked back, raising a hand in defense. It was a woman, tall, with dark hair. "Come on, this way!" she said, pulling. "I'm here to help, let's go!"

Amy didn't have a choice. She followed the woman up the sidewalk until she turned suddenly down a side street. The sirens were impossibly loud now, the blue and red lights bouncing into the alleyway. Amy kept running, thinking to make it out to the end and keep going, but the woman stopped and yanked her arm back.

"Why are you stopping?" Amy shrieked, pulling out of the other woman's grasp. "They're coming!"

"And you think you can outrun police cars?" she answered sarcastically.

Amy ran her hands frantically through her hair. "Then what?!"

The other woman knelt down, digging her fingers into the edges of a manhole cover. "This."

"You want to go into the sewers?!"

"Do you have a better idea?" she asked, looking up at Amy.

"Who are you?" Amy demanded.

"In the hole. Now!"

The sirens were upon them. Quickly, Amy placed her foot at the top of the metal ladder cemented along the tunnel wall, and started descending. The other woman followed after, pausing only to pull the cover back over the hole, enclosing them in darkness.

The smell was overpowering. Finally, Amy stepped down and found concrete beneath her dropped down, and felt, rather than saw, the other woman step down beside her.

"I can't see anything," Amy said.

"I can," the other woman replied. "But I guess that doesn't really help you... Can't you do something about that?"

"It's not a switch, I can't just turn it on!" Amy said, exasperated. Now that she was alone with the stranger, who seemed to know a lot more than her, she was afraid. She slowly started to back away.

"I can see you, you know," the other woman said, sounding frustrated. Amy froze, and then she heard rustling, and all of a sudden, a small light clicked on. "Here," she said, handing Amy the small flashlight.

Amy took it in shaky hands. "Who-who are you?"

"My name's Evee. I came to help you." In the light, Amy could see her features much more clearly. Her hair was long, halfway down her back, and so dark it was almost black. She had almond shaped eyes, and a long neck. Even with the bags under her brown eyes, she was very pretty.

"How did you find me?"

The other woman smiled, like she was holding back laughter. "Well, it's not like it was hard. All I had to do was turn on the news to see where you had been sighted last."

Amy flinched, and Evee quickly softened her face. "Look, we're going to get through this, okay? I'm not going to hurt you, or turn you in. It's a long story, but I've sort of been... looking for you. I can explain more later, but for now, we should probably move. Okay?" She extended a hand.

Amy clutched the flashlight in both hands, and considered her options. She could run, and probably be stuck forever in the Portland sewer system, or she could have a companion that, for now, seemed to be interested in helping her. She could always try to make a break for it later. She didn't have much energy left to be on her own anymore. She reached forward. "O-okay."

Evee smiled, this time confidently. "Alright. Now, let's head this way."

The sewer was cold, dark, and it smelled. It kind of reminded Evee of New York. But New York wasn't something she wanted to think about, so she pressed forward, leading Amy on. She had no idea where they were going or what they would do once they got there, but Amy was terrified. Evee would get them through this, and keep her as safe as she could.

"Let's stop here for a minute," Evee said, swinging her bag off her shoulder and pulling something out. She opened up the map, trying to find where they were.

Amy stood near her, shining the flashlight on the map. "Where are we going?"

"Here," Evee pointed to the general area where she had been staying, a dive motel away from the city center. Paid in cash, separate outside entrance to the room, no cameras, and next to zero cars in the parking lot. She could easily sneak Amy back to the room without anyone seeing them, and plan their next move from there. She closed the map. "We've got a ways to go before we can go back to the surface, so we should get a move on. Let's go."

She hoisted the bag up onto her back and continued down the sewer, Amy following behind her. She could feel Amy's blue eyes on her, watching her inquisitively.

"Who are you? I mean... _what_ are you? Are you like me? What do you _do_?"

Evee pressed her lips together. She knew the questions were coming, it was only inevitable, but she didn't really want to answer them. She _couldn't_ really answer them. "Maybe...it's better if we don't talk."

She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips.

"Oh," Amy breathed softly. The silence between them was an uncomfortable one. A moment later, Evee sighed. _Fine... _She reminded herself that this young woman had been through a lot, and she was scared and confused. She needed to go a little easier on her.

"We're similar, but I'm not exactly like you. That... _thing_ that you do, I can't do that. But I can do something else." She paused, allowing Amy to cut in. But she held her tongue, and waited for Evee to continue. Evee offered a small smile that was meant to be comforting before she continued. "I honestly don't really understand what it is that I do."

"Well, you can see in the dark," Amy said, almost unsure if she should say anything.

"Yeah, but it's way more than that..." Evee trailed off. She wasn't sure how to explain it, and she was worried if she showed her, she wouldn't be able to control it. _What if she ended up like Tyler?_

Amy spoke again, and this time Evee was glad she did. "You said you were looking for me... why?"

Well, sort of glad.

Evee shrugged, knowing that wasn't much of an answer at all. A moment later, she spoke. "I saw you... This is going to sound absolutely insane, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." She stopped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Amy's voice carried a hint of harshness, and it took Evee aback. She smiled to herself. _That's better._

"I could see you... but not on tv or the internet. I saw you... in my head. Like, the world around me stops, I cant breathe, I can't see, I can't hear. I can barely even think. And then I _see_ things. Images, flashes. Sometimes it's like flipping through a picture book, or watching a movie on fast forward. Sometime I just see things about a person, or sometimes I see things that haven't happened yet." Evee paused, and took a deep breath. "The other day... I saw you. I saw what you did, and I saw you running. I saw that you needed help."

Evee took a chance and looked up at Amy. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hanging open. _Great, I sound like a lunatic._ "Look, I'm not crazy, okay?" she snapped, turning away.

"I didn't think you were," Amy said softly.

Evee froze. She slowly looked back at the young woman, searching her face. No, Amy didn't think she was crazy - at least, not completely crazy. What Evee saw in Amy's face was recognition. Recognition, because she knew exactly what Evee experienced, or something similar to it. "Do you see things, too?"

"No," Amy shook her head.

"Oh."

"But sometimes... I _hear_ things. Voices. Thoughts, maybe?"

Evee nodded her head. "You get a headache, or a migraine, rather. Everything else just stops at random, and then it takes you over. You have no idea what happened, and you could never explain it to anyone without sounding crazy."

Amy nodded.

"We're mutants."

A moment of silence, and then Amy spoke. "I killed my father."

"I sent a boy to the hospital."

"I can't control it."

"Neither can I."

"I...I could hurt you, could burn you. Or worse."

"I could make you hurt yourself."

The two just stood there, watching each other. Neither said a word, neither needed to. They understood each other, and through that understanding, a bond was formed.

Evee gestured to the dark emptiness ahead of them. "We should keep moving. Don't want to spend all day in the sewers."

Amy nodded, and the two started walking again.

And then it hit her, a sudden onslaught of pain. "Aggh!" Evee cried out, dropping the map and throwing her hands to her head. Her vision blurred, and her hearing was replaced by a sharp, buzzing noise. She heard a scream and tried to find Amy, but she could barely move and fell forward. "Not now!" she whispered as the vision took over.

_He was grotesque. Nose sunken in, large gaping black eyes. His skin was gray and scaly. He was grinning maliciously, hungrily. _

_Someone was gasping, struggling. A woman, claws clenched around her throat._

_Amy._

"No!" Evee gasped breathlessly. "Amy!"

She started to stand and a hand helped her up. She looked into Amy's scared, blue eyes. "We have to go. We have to go now!"

They didn't hesitate and the two broke into a run. Evee could see a crossroads coming up ahead. "Keep going straight!"

As they were passing the crossroads, Amy yelled "Watch out!"

Evee turned to look at Amy, and that's when it hit her. Something physically hit her and she went flying, hitting the tunnel wall and falling to ground. Her vision flickered, and her head started pounding.

"What are two pretty things like you doing in Morlock territory?" The voice was male and mocking.

"You mean this isn't Disneyland?" Evee shot back, holding the back of her head as she stood.

She heard a growl as her vision came back, and she found herself staring into the dark, slitted eyes from her vision. Her heart was racing and she glanced over at Amy. She kept her composure and tried to will her to run, but she was frozen. She turned back to the thing in front of her, preparing herself for the onslaught she was sure to face. "Word of advice? Breath mint."

Evee grimaced as this Morlock thing swung. As she fell, she gathered all of her strength and screamed in her mind, _RUN!_

It must have worked, Evee could hear Amy take off. Unfortunately, she could hear the disfigured mutant going after her. "What's the matter, blondie? Scared of big bad Gorge?"

_Gorge? What the hell kind of name is that?_ Evee thought to herself, standing. She moved too fast, and a bout of dizziness took her. She put a hand up to her head. She was definitely bleeding this time. Gritting her teeth, Evee took off, running after Amy and Gorge.

It wasn't difficult to find them, they hadn't gotten far. Evee saw the scene from her vision playing out in front of her: Gorge pressing Amy into the tunnel wall, grabbing her by her throat. Her feet dangled in the air as she clawed at the tight grip. She couldn't breathe. Evee didn't know what to do, she couldn't fight something that big, she wasn't strong enough. Or was she? She closed her eyes, willing the darkness to come up and take over, like it had done in the warehouse.

Nothing.

Amy was fading fast; she had to do something.

"Won't you make a nice treat, blondie?"

_What? We're into _eating_ people?_ Evee stepped forward, feeling the darkness build up inside her. "Hey, tall, dark, and scaly!"

Gorge growled, and as soon as he turned to Evee, he was knocked back by some unseen force. He fell backward, enveloped in darkness, as if he was covered by a shadow. He began screaming and thrashing about. Evee immediately ran to Amy's side, putting an arm around her as she coughed and gasped for air. "Are you okay?"

"What did you do to him?"

"Nevermind, we have to move. Can you stand?"

"I, I think so," Amy replied.

Evee helped Amy stand, but they weren't fast enough. Four more mutants were coming straight for them on the other side of the tunnel, each more hideous and disfigured than the last. On their other side, Gorge was slowly getting to his feet.

"Let's go!" Amy yelled, but Evee grabbed her arm.

"There's nowhere to go, we have to fight!"

Amy didn't protest, but Evee could feel her growing fear. Evee grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You can do this."

The two women started to focus on building their power. Evee tried to let the darkness take over, as she felt her hand heat up. Just as the first of the mutant gang lunged at them, a red blast appeared out of nowhere and shot him down. A strong wind picked up, blowing another away.

"What's going on?" Amy yelled, as the remaining mutants ran off in the sewers. Gorge, for lack of a better word, seemed to slither off of the ground into the sewer water, disappearing beneath the surface.

Light and dark hair blew around, and Evee squinted. She could see two people, dressed in dark leather. A man in goggles, and a dark-skinned woman with bright white hair and white eyes. They had to be mutants, too.

"We are not here to harm you," the woman said.

The man held up his hands, "We're here to help. Come with us."

Evee could feel Amy squeeze her hand, which was getting hotter. Too hot.

"Amy, I think it's okay." Evee tried to pull her hand away, but Amy's grip was surprisingly strong. Evee's hand was sweating. "Amy, come on, it's okay. You're hurting me."

She looked up at Amy, who had her eyes shut and terror written over her face. She was losing control.

"Stay back!" Evee yelled at the two mutants that had helped them. Amy's hand grew blisteringly warm, and pain began to shoot up Evee's arm as it started to burn her.

"Please, please work," she muttered to herself. She wrapped an arm around Amy, whose skin was hot to the touch. She ignored the pain, closed her eyes, and tried to focus on the palpable fear that emanated from the other woman. She could push her own fear onto others, but maybe she could pull Amy's fear into herself, before Amy blew them all to smithereens. Evee focus on the fear, squeezing Amy in her arms. She could feel her hand burning, the searing pain tearing at her flesh. She imagined Amy's fear, pulling it into her own body. The skin prickled on her arms and the back of her neck. Goosebumps traveled across her skin. Her heart beat faster and faster, until it was pounding in her ears, blood rushing through her veins. She held on as long as she could, until finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She stumbled back, screaming. A flash of light and darkness filled Evee's eyes as she fell, eyes rolling back in her head.


	4. Chapter 4

More reviews, more reviews! We got another one last time, and it was fantastic. Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to post them!

In other news, Krystle and I are working on building a Photobucket account and a YouTube channel you guys can peruse! We've been working on this story for awhile now, and over the course of that time we've compiled a soundtrack for our story, as well as collected a series of comic scans, photo edits, and outfit compilations we use for inspiration! We plan on making these accounts available for you guys to look through as soon as they're up and running, so we'll keep you posted! Hopefully by the time we're publishing the next chapter, they'll be up and running!

**_Disclaimer: _**_We don't own jack!_

* * *

Chapter Four

Rancid breath, the stench of must and decay, filled her nostrils, as Amy scrabbled at the hand the gripped her throat, this _thing _crushing her windpipe. Her heels kicked and bounced uselessly at the wall behind her as the - mutant? man? creature? - pushed her bodily steadily further from the ground.

In the back of her mind, Amy heard indistinct whispers, a sea of voices that sounded like silk slipping against itself or the distant crashing of the ocean.

"Won't you make a nice treat?" Gorge lifted a claw and ran it down her cheek to her chin, forcing her to look into the sunken pits where his eyes should have been visible. She choked as he squeezed her neck tighter.

The voices grew louder, and started chanting in unison. Run. Run. RUN. _RUN!_

With a painful, strangled gasp, Amy say bolt upright, eyes open, heart pounding, palms sweaty, head silent. It took a moment for her eyes to focus on the bright room she found herself in. It looked like she was in a medical facility, all white cabinets and walls and chrome appliances. There was no one else around.

She looked down at herself. She had been laid out on a metal table, but she couldn't have been there long. She was still filthy, wounded, and in the clothes she had stolen from the hospital.

She remembered the strangers in the sewers, not the monsters, but the man and woman who had appeared just before Amy couldn't remember anything. She must have blacked out. She slid off of the table, standing shakily on her feet. The room wasn't very big, and it was obvious Evee wasn't there. It was a struggle to try to stay calm. She was alone, again.

There were large metal doors to her right, and Amy walked toward them. There were no handles, and no keypad on the wall. They did not open as she approached, and remained closed as she stood before them. She reached out and rested her hand against the seam between the two doors, but that didn't work either. In frustration, she banged her fist on the door.

Turning away, she ran her hands through her hair, pacing across the room. What was she going to do? There were no windows, the doors wouldn't open - she was trapped.

She needed a weapon, she decided. She couldn't count on herself to be able to fight whoever was inevitably coming, she needed something else. She was clearly in some sort of hospital or facility, there had to be something she could use to defend herself.

She began rummaging through the cabinets, pushing aside clear medical tubing, boxes of rubber gloves, and packages of cotton swabs. She was looking through the drawers when the doors slid open behind her. Whipping around, Amy lifted the pair of scissors she had just found in front of her in what she hoped was a threatening manner. Two people, a redheaded woman and a man in goggles, had come through the door. As the doors slid closed behind them, they both paused. The redheaded woman put her hands up.

"It's okay, Amy. You don't have to be scared."

Amy clenched the scalpel tightly in her hand. How could they possibly know her name? What did they want? She tried to listen to their thoughts, but she couldn't seem to grasp at any of her powers. Her heart beat faster in her chest.

"Just put the scissors down, okay? We're here to help you." They were slowly approaching her, and she was backing away, until her back was pressed against the wall. She held the scalpel in front of her, clenched in both hands.

"Amy!"

From behind the two strangers, Evee appeared, followed by a white-haired women - the woman Amy faintly remembered from the sewers.

"Amy, stop," Evee said, standing in front of the other three and spreading her arms wide. "They're just trying to help. Look at me." Evee pushed aside the collar of her t-shirt, revealing a swath of bandages. She had two butterfly bandages on her eyebrow, and she looked like she had showered. "Just put it down, okay?"

Amy hesitated for a moment, looking at the faces of the people standing behind Evee, and then she slowly reached out and set the scissors on the countertop.

"Okay," Evee said, nodding. "Now, come sit so they can fix you up, alright?"

Amy wondered what exactly it was that had caused Evee to be so openly trusting of these strangers, but then again, back in the sewers, Amy had trusted her without thought. It felt right. So, she trusted her now. Feeling numb and suddenly exhausted, she allowed herself to be led back to the examining table she had woken up on, and she sat on the edge. The redheaded woman slowly approached her. "Amy," she said, "my name is Dr. Grey. This is Mr. Summers," she gestured to the man, "and this is Miss Munroe." The white-haired woman smiled. "I'm going to take a look at your face, okay?" Jean asked.

Amy dropped her eyes, but held her face forward, acquiescing. Jean dampened a washcloth in the sink, and stood in front of Amy, gently wiping away the dirt and grime from her face. Amy winced away from her touch as she brushed against the large bruise on her cheek. "Sorry," Dr. Grey said, pausing before continuing. "That looks bad. How did that happen?" she asked.

Amy dropped her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it. Or anything.

The doctor took the hint. She dropped the washcloth in the sink, and took Amy's hand in her own, studying the handcuff still dangling around her wrist. "This doesn't look good," she said, more to herself than Amy. She looked over her should. "Scott, could you...?"

The man in the goggles nodded, and stepped toward Amy. He looked down at her arm, and reached for a dial on the right side of his goggles.

He shot across the room in an instant, slamming against the wall before sliding down to his knees, coughing, trying to catch his breath.

"Scott!" Jean said, running to his side. The white-haired woman, Miss Munroe, and Evee turned to look at Amy, who shrank under their gaze.

"It's okay, Amy, it was an accident," the white-haired woman said soothingly. Across the room, Scott shakily got to his feet.

"It's okay, I'm fine," he said, seemingly more to the redhead than the rest of the room. They both approached Amy again. "It was just an accident, but I'm not going to hurt you, alright? We just need to get that off," he said, gesturing to the cuff around her wrist.

Slowly, Amy held out her wrist again, and Scott, slowly, lifted his hand to his goggles. There was a bright blast of red light, and then the cuff clattered to the floor. Amy stared, amazed.

"Now, let's get that cleaned up, shall we?"

Dr. Grey carefully wiped down the burn, which hurt more than the cuff had rubbing against it for the past week. She then did a short medical examination, shining a light in both of Amy's eyes, checking her temperature and blood pressure, and taking a blood sample.

When she was done, she handed Amy a pile of dark clothing, sweats and t-shirts, just like Evee wore, and a pile of bandages. "You'll have to put those on after you shower, okay? Evee can help you, I'm sure." Amy looked up at her, confusion apparent on her face. "I assume you'll want to shower?" she asked, with a smile. Amy looked away, down at the pile in her hands.

"I'll show you to your room," Miss Munroe said, resting a hand on Amy's shoulder. She flinched away.

"Come on, Amy, it's okay," Evee said.

Amy looked up at her, and then slid off of the table, holding the clothes close to her chest and refusing to look at anyone. She was too confused and too tired to fight anymore.

She followed everyone out of the infirmary, whose doors seemed to magically open for the others, and down the bright white hallway to elevator doors, also white and easy to look past if not for the seam between the doors. They all stood silently together in the elevator as it nearly silently glided upward for what seemed like an eternity. Amy tightened her arms around her bundle.

The doors opened, revealing a magnificent landing. High ceilings, beautiful chandeliers, wood paneling, expensive-looking furniture, massive area rugs, all laid out before a grand staircase leading up to who knows how many floors.

"Your room is on the second floor," Dr. Grey said, leading the way.

They weren't the only ones walking. Others, most looking like they couldn't be older than Amy and Evee, walked or ran past, talking and laughing. Some of them stopped to stare at them as they passed. A girl in a yellow coat, a boy with a lighter - Amy even saw one girl run through a wall. Very aware of her singed dress and bruised face, she shook her hair forward to shield herself from their gazes.

Amy almost didn't realize they had arrived when the group stopped before a door. "You two can share... I hope that's alright? Evee, your things are already here," Jean said, opening the door.

The two were ushered into a fairly large, airy room. There were two twin beds placed in an L shape, one against the window, one against the adjoining wall, feet to feet. There was an adjoining bathroom.

"I guess we'll leave you to it, then," Miss Munroe smiled at them. "Wash up, and get as much rest as you need. We'll check back later, alright?"

Evee nodded for both of them.

"Don't forget those bandages after you wash," Dr. Grey reminded Amy as she closed the door.

Silence.

Then, "I've already been up here," Evee said, flopping onto the bed by the wall. "Shower's nice. I thought you'd like the bed by the window."

Amy stood there, still holding her clothes.

"So, not talking still, huh? Even to me?"

Barely, Amy shrugged. Evee sighed. "It's alright. But for the record, I like it here. I think they just want to help. It's a school, you know, for mutants. Storm explained it to me."

Amy glanced at her.

"Miss Munroe. White hair. They all have names like that. Like, the guy with the glasses is called Cyclops. It's weird." Exhaling, she rolled onto her stomach, resting her head on the pillow. "I'm going to get some sleep, I'm exhausted. You should take a shower, you reek."

Wordlessly, Amy shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and setting her pile of clothes onto the counter next to the sink, bandages on top. She peeled off her clothes, dropping all of them into the small trashcan next to the toilet without hesitation. Turning the water on as hot as she could stand it, she climbed in, pulling the glass door closed behind her, and let the water run over her head and down her body. Everything ached, even parts of her she hadn't injured. She was tired, emotionally, physically, and mentally. She was so tired, she couldn't think. She raised her hand and held it to her neck, feeling where that monster had grabbed her. Her throat tightened, and she started to cry. She bent over, hugging herself, and finally sank down, resting her forehead on her knees, great sobs racking through her body.

Finally, though, even that ended. She washed herself twice before toweling off with a soft, white towel hung over the towel bar. In the pile of clothes, she found a dark grey tank top and a black pair of panties. She pulled those on, leaving the towel on the bathroom floor.

Evee was stretched out and breathing heavily on her bed; she hadn't even bothered to get under the blanket. Amy slid under hers and pulled it over her head, almost immediately falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

It had to be late afternoon when she finally woke up. She felt stiff and sticky from sweat. Cautiously, she pulled the covers down from her face.

"And the dead finally awakens," Evee said. She stood in front of the mirror of their bureau, applying eyeliner. "You've been asleep for almost a whole day."

Amy sat up, rubbing her face.

"It's not so bad. I slept for awhile too. Just woke up this morning." She tossed Amy a fresh towel and gestured to the bathroom. "We're going shopping." Amy must have made a face, because Evee added, "You don't have anything at all to your name, you didn't expect to have to walk around in sweatpants forever, did you?"

The two women from the days before, Dr. Grey and Storm, drove the two girls to a mall in town. The car ride was, for the most part, silent. Amy spent the entire time looking out the window at the passing buildings, wondering where in the world she had ended up.

"We know what it's like for mutants who had to leave home. That's why the Institute budgets for situations like these," Storm explained as they entered one of the mall's large corner department stores. "Don't go crazy, obviously, but we have enough for you two to pick out things you like."

Eventually, they paired off, Evee with Storm and Amy with Dr. Grey. Amy slowly found her way amongst pretty floral sundresses and patterned shorts, while Evee seemed more fond of dark, muted colors.

"Has she said anything to you?" Storm asked as Evee held up a loose, dark green tunic shirt.

"No. Not a word. She barely looks at me."

"Well, that's more than it seems anyone else gets."

"She went through a lot, alright?" Evee said defensively.

Storm paused. "Did you know Amy, before your manifestation?"

Evee paused, and then shook her head. "No."

"Why'd you cross the country looking for her, then?"

Evee eyed Storm appraisingly, then sighed, draping the shirt over her arm. "I saw her. In a vision. It sounds crazy, but it's like something wanted me to find her." She looked up at Storm. "I told her this was a safe place. I vouched for you. So if this turns out to be anything other than what I told her-"

"We're a school and a home for mutants who have no where else to go. We'll teach you, both of you, how to use your powers. All we want to do is give you two a safe home."

Evee arched an eyebrow. "We'll see."

* * *

"How was the shopping trip?" Scott asked as Jean and Ororo stepped into the infirmary with him.

"As well as could be expected," Jean said. She sat behind the computer near the x-ray scanner.

"Amy still isn't speaking, she's completely traumatized. And I can't blame her. Neither of them trust us yet," Ororo said.

"Guys, look at this," Jean said, cutting into their conversation. She pointed to the computer screen as Scott and Ororo bent behind her to look. "These are the blood samples I took from Amy and Evee. You see this line of dashes here, and then again here?" she asked, pointing.

"What about them?" Ororo asked.

"They indicate a similarity in genetic make-up, coming from common bloodlines."

"Meaning...?" Scott asked.

"Meaning they have the same parents. Amy and Evee are sisters."


End file.
